Roman 'motorway' secrets unveiled

icWales ^ | Jul 28 2005 | staff

[SunkenCiv]

Stretching 535 miles across modern-day Albania, Macedonia and Greece, the stone-paved road made the going easy for charioteers, soldiers and other travellers. It was up to 30 feet wide in places and was dotted with safety features, inns and service stations... Built between 146 and 120 B.C. under the supervision of the top Roman official in Macedonia, proconsul Gaius Egnatius, the highway ran from the Adriatic coast in what is now Albania to modern Turkey, giving Rome quick access to the eastern provinces of its empire. Ancient engineers did such a good job that the Via Egnatia remained in use for some 2,000 years, sticking to its original course even as its paving slabs were plundered for building material. But over the last century, what’s visible of it has dwindled to less than two miles in total... She said drivers held the reins with their right hand and wielded their whip with the left, so the Romans made drivers stay on the left to avoid the lash of oncoming riders and keep road-rage incidents to a minimum. There were inns every 30 to 40 miles, and post stations, the Roman equivalent of gas stations, every 7 to 14 miles... Archaeologists also discovered ruins of military outposts, checkpoints and camps, with guard posts built near narrow passes to curb highway robbery.

[SunkenCiv]

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[SunkenCiv]

I thought we had this, but I didn't find it. Older, so I'm not pinging the list. I guess this is Roman Empire week, or somethin', but everyone has been pinged to Roman topics a lot. Welcome Squat to the GGG list. Squat, managers, managers, Squat. :')

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[atomicpossum]

They probably still made better time on their highways than Southern Californians.

[xcamel]

Parts of the road are clearly visible in Google Earth Pro.

[river rat]

Hell, the Romans built BETTER roads that CalTrans can build or maintain in Kalifornicate..

Roads around here -- San Fransicko Bay area, are nearly useless after just a few years...
CalTrans can't repair damage -- they simply cover it with makeup - and pretend it's fixed..

After the 1st rain --- the hole, crack, bumps are all back and "good as new"..

I've been driven across roads and BRIDGES in Europe that were built by the Romans and they are perfectly SERVICABLE...

Semper Fi

[SunkenCiv]

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